I was first introduced to Pimento Cheese during a trip to Nashville a few years back and I fell in love with it’s creamy, cheesy, spicy flavors! It’s not found on many menus up north and it wasn’t until I returned south to New Orleans that I had Pimento Cheese once again and decided I needed to find myself a good recipe! The following is my adaptation of a Ree Drummond recipe. I add more adobo in the form of a chile and used half the cheese. That may sound counter intuitive but trust, 4 cups is plenty! Lastly, I use my food processor to mix the ingredients to make it a little more creamy rather than chunky. This recipe makes a lot of Pimento Cheese so feel free to divide it up and freeze for a later date to enjoy! It’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser!!

Ingredients:

• 8 oz (1 block) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup mayo
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp adobo sauce plus 1 chile (from canned chipotles in adobo)
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
• 2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
• 8 oz diced pimento (2 jars, drained)
• 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• kosher salt
• pepper

Directions:

1. Add the cream cheese, mayo, mustard, adobo sauce and chile to the bowl of your food processor and pulse until blended.
2. Add the shredded cheeses and pulse once again until mixed. Taste and season with salt and pepper and pulse a few times more.
3. Use a rubber spatula to transfer mixture to a medium sized bowl. Fold in the chopped pimento and fresh dill.
4. Serve with crackers, schmear on toast or use as a dip for veggies! With pimento cheese you can do no wrong!